


Only Time Will Tell

by dorenamryn



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types
Genre: Anakin Needs a Hug, Anakin hates the suit, Angst, Cross-Posted on FanFiction.Net, Darth Vader Redemption, Gen, Leia is too curious for her own good, Luke is too pure for this world, Past Padmé Amidala/Anakin Skywalker, The Ghost Crew (SW Rebels) - mentioned, and finds his kids, and joins the rebellion, but this version is better, can be read as Anakin/Obi-Wan, kind of, more like Darth Vader runs away
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-12-24
Updated: 2016-12-27
Packaged: 2018-09-11 18:33:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 7,308
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9001849
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dorenamryn/pseuds/dorenamryn
Summary: Once the spark begins to shine, we all think; maybe there's hope, perhaps the fire is alight once more. Then again, only time will tell. OR: Vader remembers Padmé, Luke and Leia are reunited with their father at a young age, and Anakin is freed.





	1. Hiraeth

**Author's Note:**

> This piece has been in the works for a long while now, and it's up on ff.net but I'm posting on here also. However, if you do choose to read ahead on ff.net, keep in mind that there will be more errors as the version I'm posting on here is being edited more than that one.
> 
> But, enjoy the fic! I've got a lot of feeling about Anakin Skywalker and being the trash lord I am I make myself feel better by writing fic. There's more stuff on this verse on the [tag on my tumblr](http://vortexoftime.tumblr.com/tagged/only-time-will-tell).
> 
> update 04/27/17: Hey everyone! I know I've been gone for quite a while but this story isn't abandoned. I'm planning on rewriting the entire thing because I don't really like the way I wrote it before and I just want to tweak some things. So, without further ado, I present to you the new and improved chapter. 
> 
> (ps: the other chapters haven't been rewritten as of now)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> homesickness for a home you can never return to, or that never was.
> 
> or: Darth Vader cries for what will never be.

**** His name was Darth Vader. He knew that. Skywalker had been a fool, he knew that as well. He’d let Padmé die, he’d let his child die, he hadn’t trusted in Obi-Wan enough. His name was Darth Vader. He was one of the most powerful Force users to ever exist. And yet, he was but an empty shell, the ghostly remains of a man he’d tried so hard to kill. 

Skywalker was dead, or so Vader had tried to convince himself, for if Skywalker was dead, he wouldn’t feel so much. He wouldn’t feel the Force screaming in pain around him, his throat wouldn’t constrict whenever he’d so much as think about his past. He wanted to forget. He wanted to forget Padmé, forget Obi-Wan, forget Anakin Skywalker.

But he couldn’t. Try as he might, he couldn’t forget; and that was the truth. The only truth.

He hadn’t thought of Padmé in so long; for he’d thought that if he pushed her memory away then Anakin would finally die, but no. It seemed to have only done the opposite.

He sat in his meditation chamber that day, when he finally decided to let go, just for a moment.

It had been weeks, _years_ , since he had dared let himself fully embrace her memory. It haunted him, every day, every hour, _every minute_ , but he had never embraced it. He had tried so hard to push her and her memory away, back into the deep recesses of the endless void that was his mind.

He didn’t want to remember. 

He didn’t want to miss her.

But he did. _Oh, so very much._

And that day, he let himself, if only for a moment— but now, he couldn’t stop the onslaught, and stopping now would be like trying to stop breathing, but he _wasn’t breathing,_ not really, that was the suit—

No, that wasn’t the point. 

Her memory burned his mind, reminded him of his failure, failure, _failure_ — failure to save her, to save their child, to save anything. He had lost so much. 

Hot tears seemed to burn his face as they flowed down, gravity taking effect. He shut his eyes, then, as tightly as he dared, and let himself go.  He allowed the Force to pummel his mind with its cruel visions, allowed her face to drift in his mind’s eye, her golden smile to look down upon him as he desperately tried to keep from sobbing.

Reality vanished around him, and he was pulled into the realm of dreams.

He saw himself and Padmé first, two youths, lying in the tall grass. There’s was a shining sun, reflecting off of Padmé’s wondrously curly hair. The boy, himself, young and unscarred and carefree, was grinning at her madly.

The Force intervened then, and suddenly he saw the same youths, smiles plastered on their faces, the Padmé’s dress shimmering and shining brighter than a thousand suns, himself, his eyes shining about as much as the her dress, his gaze filled with love and never-ending joy.

Pain. It plagued him almost as much as the memories that the Force was pushing upon his already-strained mind. He didn’t understand; why were these memories haunting him now? Why? Hadn’t he suffered enough? They had stayed silent all these years, pushed away into a corner so that he would never have to lay his mind upon them again because it _hurt_ , it hurt so much. He was a Sith. It wasn't supposed to hurt. So why did it?

The veranda of light then disappeared as well, and instead, Vader found himself in a med-centre room. There was a woman lying on the bed, her smile like a diamond, holding two infants. A man, standing beside her, gently caressing the heads of his children. The woman Vader recognized as Padmé, and beside her stood the fool, Skywalker. He was smiling down at her, his eyes as bright as his Force presence.

Vader’s fists tightened. This had never happened. This was not a memory, this was something else entirely. It was what should have happened. It was the only thing that he had ever wanted, and it had been cruelly ripped away from him by fate.

“Luke,” Padmé whispered, as if not to wake the two babies. Anakin’s smile brightened as she spoke, and Vader tried to force down his unbidden emotions.

“Leia,” Anakin said gently, letting a finger run down one of the infant’s tiny faces. 

Padmé smiled at him, he looked at her lovingly, and then they both looked down at the sleeping children, their children, their happiness. The joyful feeling of the room shone brightly, so brightly, too brightly, and then Vader was swept away again.

This time, he found himself stood in a meadow of tall grass. 

Padmé was sat on a picnic blanket, laughing as a small toddler ran around her. Anakinsuddenly came up behind her, chuckling as the little girl in his arms clapped her pudgy hands, her eyes on her brother. She hit her little palms on her father’s chest, as if saying, _“let me down!”_ and then, Anakin did put her down. The little girl smiled up at her father cheekily before running off to play with the little boy, her brother. Vader watched as Anakin helped Padmé up.

“Wuke!” Leia giggled, bringing about another round of laughter from her mother, standing above her. Anakin laid a gentle arm around his wife’s shoulders and pulled her into his embrace, laughing, smiling.

Padmé looked up and grinned at Anakin, giving him a quick peck on the cheek before she sat down again, pulling him down with her to be on the twins’ level. Anakin laughed as the children climbed upon him, pulling at his brown tunic. 

Vader’s fists tightened again. They all looked so happy it hurt. Their happiness was a reminder of his failure. He stood there, half-man, half-machine, unable to breathe on his own, and he watched as Anakin, whole and happy, played with the children that he had inadvertently killed.

It was unfair.

The two children danced about in the tall grass as Padmé reached into the basket behind her. Anakin was running about with them, and laughed, happy. 

“Luke, Leia!” Padmé called. “Come along, it’s time for lunch!”

The two ran to their smiling mother, who had laid out a small collection of various sandwiches and fruit on a picnic blanket. Anakin followed them, his own grin radiant. The children dug in, seemingly wanting to finish quickly, but Anakin shook his head.

“You have to slow down,” he said, looking at the two pointedly.

“But Papa,” whined the boy between mouthfuls. Padmé laughed at her son’s antics.

“Listen to your father, Luke,” she agreed. 

Vader took a moment to drink in her features in that moment. Her hair was done up in braids this time, her face slightly flushed, her eyes twinkling. Vader felt a tear slowly fall from his eye, and another as she smiled again.

The little girl finished her sandwich while her parents were focused on Luke and started to stand up when Anakin wrapped his long arms around her waist. She shrieked as he lifted her into the air.

“Come on, Leia,” Anakin chided. “You know that you can’t leave without saying thank you.”

“Thank you, Ma, Papa,” said the little girl, afterwards looking up at Anakin, her expression asking for him to put her down.

Vader shut his eyes. 

“That’s my girl,” Anakin laughed, his joyous voice making its way to Vader’s ears.

“Let’s go, Luke!” Leia yelled, grabbing her brother and taking off into the grass.

Vader watched as Anakin and Padmé leaned into each other, smiling, laughing, and the sight of Padmé’s smile is imprinted upon Vader’s eyes as the scene faded into the next. It was dark now, and he could see that he was in a bedroom.

Suddenly, Anakin sat up on the bed, his eyes wild and filled with fear. Vader frowned, but kept watching his other self nonetheless.

“No, no, no,” Anakin whispered, shaking his head. “No!”

His shout, evidently, was loud enough to wake up the other occupants of the airy house, as moments later two little children ran into the room, and Padmé had woken too, as she now embraced her husband while he cried. Vader stood stock still, his breath caught in his throat.

“Papa?” Asked the little girl as the boy climbed into the bed, wrapping his tiny arms around his father.

When Leia didn’t get a reply, she climbed up as well. Anakin, as Vader could see, was speechless, paralyzed by fear, his breathing quick, and then…

“It’s okay, shhhh,” whispered Padmé, the sound of her voice pulling at something in Vader’s chest.

Anakin sighed, and even far as he was, Vader could see him crack a watery smile, wrapping his own arms around his family. Anakin’s voice was quiet as he spoke, almost too quiet to hear, but…

“I love you,” he said. “So, so much.”

There were three pairs of arms around Anakin, and as Vader stood, tears flowing freely now, he saw Anakin look up and meet his eyes, just for a moment. Anakin’s eyes were blue, bright and happy as his head gave Vader a minuscule nod.

And then, the Force cut him off. The happy scene and the feelings of euphoria vanished, and Vader found himself back in his meditation chamber, the colours of the darkened bedroom fading into bland greys and stark whites.

Anakin’s soft words hung in the air, and Vader found that he couldn’t stop himself from shaking.

He breathed as if he were drowning, and in that moment, amidst the pain and the tragedy of his own creation, he realized that he was. Why had he been shown these impossible scenes, these ‘what ifs’? It was never to be, for he had condemned himself. The Sith were the only thing he had left, his mission, the only thing he had left to do, and all because he’d destroyed the future that he now so wanted.

In that moment, it finally dawned on him, and he realized why he was crying, why it hurt, so, _so_ much.

He was dreaming of home. For that’s what it was. He didn’t belong here, he belonged with her, with his family, with Obi-Wan and Ahsoka and everyone else whom he had ever loved. _Home_.

But it was too late. He’d ruined any small chance that they had of having a family. He’d ripped them apart, torn his own heart open, let himself drown. Their chance was gone, as were the people he loved. They were all long gone, dead, or soon to be so.

Anakin was supposed to be dead too, but yet Vader _felt_. He longed for the home he could never have, longed for the family in his dreams, for his wife, for love. The tears flowed freely down upon his broken face, the guilt ate away at his heart, for he’d done this, it was _his fault_ …

All he could do now was look up towards the so-called heavens and apologize, he would never stop apologizing, for he had ruined everything; he could see that now. And while Vader still breathed, his darkness still fuelled by hate, something changed. A spark of light began to illuminate the inky darkness, and while Vader didn’t know it yet, it was to be the beginning of his own rebirth.


	2. Revenant

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> a person who has returned, especially supposedly from the dead.
> 
> or: Darth Vader has a change of heart at the discovery of his son.

Vader left his quarters as soon as he felt the ship drop out of hyperspace. He had been sent by the Emperor to (forcibly) negotiate with the Hutts over the use of their hyperspace lanes. Yes, this was a supposedly a diplomatic mission, but the Imperial convoy sent earlier hadn’t made any progress, and then had let it get out of hand, resulting in all of their deaths. So Vader had been sent, for lack of better things to do. Besides, it wasn’t as if he didn’t enjoy picking bones with Jabba and the rest of the Hutt council. Yes, they were powerful, but he wasn’t bothered. There was nothing in the galaxy that could scare him. He was a Sith Lord.

Scare, no, but annoy, definitely, for as they finally sailed into view of Tatooine, Vader inwardly groaned. Curse the Hutts for choosing to gather at Jabba’s palace. 

Making his way through the main hangar bay, Vader approached the readied shuttle. Nodding at the pilot, he strapped himself in. Of course he would rather fly himself, but this would have to do. He didn’t watch as they approached the planet, for it had already been seared into his memory.

Flying over the never-ending desert, Vader suddenly felt something. A bright, searingly bright Force presence that put his senses on edge. The brightness danced upon the edges of his consciousness, soothing his heart, burning his mind. Instinctively, he wanted to kill that light, but something stopped him, for that light was achingly familiar. 

Then it hit him. That light was like his had been, a lifetime ago.

The gears began turning in Vader’s head.

Unfortunately, that was when the shuttle touched down. The presence would have to wait.  
  


* * *

  
After what seemed like ages, Vader finally left the palace. He let the shuttle fly up to the Star Destroyer before returning his attention to the presence. Once he left the shuttle, Vader made a beeline for the Admiral.

“Ready a shuttle,” he commanded firmly. “I have some business to attend to on the planet surface.”

A shuttle was prepped. 

He boarded silently and closed the ramp.

This time, he let his feelings guide him as he flew through the atmosphere. He followed the presence, waiting as it grew ever brighter. 

Finally, after about an hour gone searching, Vader pinpointed the location of the bright light. 

A moisture farm. And not just any moisture farm. Vader would have gasped, had he been able too. For this farm had also been seared into his memory. It was the home of Cliegg Lars.

When he had set down and walked down the ramp, the forms of two people were swiftly walking towards the shuttle. The booming voice of (Vader assumed) Owen Lars rang out.

“Whatever you want, we don’t—“

His voice cut off when he spotted Vader. Vader stepped forward.

“You are harbouring a Force-sensitive,” Vader began. “You will hand him over to me.”

“We have nothing for you, Darth,” Beru spoke. “We only welcome Anakin Skywalker, and as far as I know, that man is dead.”

Vader’s anger bristled, but then, the bright presence neared, closer, closer, and then…

A young boy ran out from behind Beru.

“Who are you, Mister?” He asked without fear. Vader took in his appearance. He was wearing the usual farmer’s garb, and his blonde hair was clearly not a stranger to the heat of the Tatooine suns, but what started Vader were the boy’s eyes.

They were blue.

Like his.

Of course, Vader couldn’t actually _see_ them through the red tint in his mask, but somehow, he _knew_.

They were blue.

“I told you to stay inside, boy!” Owen yelled, and Vader noticed, with a hint of panic in his voice. Looking at the pair, Vader found worry in Beru’s eyes. But it wasn’t worry for the boy, his feelings said. It was worry for him. What?

“What is your name, young one?” He asked the boy.

“Luke Skywalker,” said the little boy in response.

Skywalker.

The pieces fell into place with a sudden clarity. The familiar presence, the eyes.

Palpatine had lied.

His child lived.

“I—“ He started, at a sudden loss for words.

_“Ani, I’m pregnant.”_

_“That’s… That’s wonderful!”_

Vader felt dizzy. He sunk to his knees, heart pounding in his ears. Bringing his hands in his line of vision, the Dark shattered. He had used it to block out Anakin, to kill the Light, he’d used it because he had thought there was nothing left.

But, he had a son. It was not all truly lost.

He had a son.

And in that moment, the brightest light the galaxy had ever seen shone out of the wretched suit, and Vader was locked away.

Anakin looked up.

“I—“

The boy frowned.

“Who are you?” He repeated.

“I… I am your father,” he said at last. And with more certainty now, “I am your father.”

“No, my father was Anakin Skywalker, and Uncle Owen told me he died.”

“Anakin Skywalker did not die, young one. I am Anakin Skywalker.”

Faintly, Anakin heard Owen and Beru cry out, but it did not matter. He felt the dark presence of the Emperor trying to breach his mind, but it did not matter, because suddenly there were two thin arms around his torso, a small head laid against his chest. Anakin hugged the boy back tightly.

Luke, his son.

It was late, he knew. But he would make things right. He would never see his son take his first steps, or say his first word. 

But he would be there. He would.

Anakin stood, gently untangling himself from Luke. He then faced his step-brother and his step-brother’s wife.

“I will not leave him here, as you have already gathered,” Anakin stated simply. “Tell Obi-Wan that Anakin Skywalker wishes him luck on finding a ship off this rock.” _(For obviously, he knew that Obi-Wan was here.)_

And with that, Anakin took his awed son by the hand and led him away towards the shuttle.

“Goodbye Uncle Owen! Goodbye Aunt Beru!” Yelled the boy over his shoulder, waving his other arm.

The two could only watch in either awe or horror as the masked man led Luke aboard the shuttle.

When the ramp closed, Anakin led Luke to the co-pilot’s chair and helped him strap in.

At long last, the ship took off, Anakin and Luke safely inside.

Anakin smiled for the first time in nine years.


	3. Metanoia

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> the journey of changing one’s mind, heart, self, or way of life.
> 
> or: Anakin Skywalker realizes what must be done.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Keep in mind that these chapters were written a pretty long while ago, and while I am editing them, I don' want to rewrite them completely, so if the quality of the writing isn't the best, I apologize in advance. Other than that, enjoy!

 

As Anakin lead his son into his quarters, his mind told him what had to be done. He had to put an end to the Empire.

Sidious would die. But, Anakin was not strong enough in entrapped in the black suit. No, he knew now that there were other options for his body rather than the monstrosity he was currently in. Nine years was more than enough time for medicine to advance.

He wanted his body back. The body that had become butchered and unrecognizable due to the injuries that lead from Vader’s mistakes.

There was only one choice, one path to be taken.

It was dangerous, not to mention extremely risky, but the Emperor was away, overlooking the construction of the Death Star. It would take ages for to get back to where Anakin was headed now.

And so, Anakin told Luke to stay in the room and said that he’d be back shortly. Afterwards, he briskly walked out and made his way to the bridge.

“Set course for Coruscant.”  
  


* * *

  
When the doors to his quarters slid open, Anakin was met with Luke wrapping his tiny arms around his legs.

“Where are we going now?” Asked the little voice.

“We are going to a planet that can help me remove this mask,” Anakin replied in the most gentle voice he could muster with the vocoder.

“Really?” Asked Luke. “What do you look like?”

Anakin was momentarily stumped. How do you tell your nine-year-old son that you’re a burn victim with no real limbs? Anakin was saved from answering when Luke continued.

“Well, I’m sure that whatever it is, it can’t be all bad. I think I got my eyes from you, as that’s what Ben said whenever he came to visit. Well, that’s before Uncle Owen kicked him out.”

“I do have blue eyes,” Anakin said. “And you have my hair as well. I was blonde like you, before my I was injured and put in this suit.”

“How did it happen?”

Images flew through Anakin’s mind. 

_“You were the Chosen One!”_

_“I loved you…”_

_“I HATE YOU!”_

“Maybe I will tell you when you’re older, Luke. It is a long and complicated story,” he finally replied. “A story of guilt, and betrayal, and darkness, and not a story you’d want to hear.”

“Oh,” said Luke quietly. Of course. Luke wasn’t dumb. He knew who Vader was, who didn’t?

Many would ask why he would choose to go with such a monster. If someone told him yesterday that Vader was his father and that Luke himself would choose to go with him, Luke would’ve laughed. But when Vader finally did come, Luke felt the Darkness lift, leave. Luke didn’t understand much of what was going on, but he did understand that Anakin Skywalker was his father, and, Anakin Skywalker was, miraculously, right in front of him. So he went.

Luke was a dreamer. He’d always dreamed of a father; a man who could teach him to fly, someone to spend time with. One day, Luke would dream that they were repairing droids. Another, they were having dinner, and his father would tell him stories of wild adventures he’d had. 

Luke was a dreamer. And yes, he knew of the Force, from what fleeting words that Ben had told him. He knew of the Dark, and the Light, and that supposedly Vader was of the Dark, but no. That could not possibly be true, for the only other presence on this ship was Anakin, and his presence shone as bright as the Tatooine suns. 

“I’m sorry, Father,” he continued quietly. Anakin looked up at him and placed a gentle hand on Luke’s small shoulder.

“It’s alright, son.”

If Luke tried hard enough, he could almost imagine that his father was smiling beneath the mask.   
  


* * *

  
Anakin felt the ship drop out of hyperspace without having to look at the viewport. He could feel Luke’s awe radiating through the Force. Anakin reached out and shielded his son’s presence with his own. He knew the Emperor had most definitely sensed the change, and had probably left him numerous messages, but for the first time in years, Anakin simply didn’t care.

Palpatine was not in control anymore. He was free. And once he had his body back, he would kill the Emperor.

After that, he didn’t know what he would do, but right now his son was the only thing that mattered.

As the city planet of Coruscant neared, Anakin led Luke out of his quarters and started to make his way down to the hangar bay. 

When the small shuttle landed at the Grand Medical Facility, Anakin was greeted with the head of the facility and his personal doctor. The former was a tall woman, her neat black hair tied back into a knot. Her white lab coat was in pristine condition, and a datapad could be seen sticking out of one of the pockets. The latter, Vader’s doctor, was a man of average height. His facial features were firm and chiseled, but the man himself was kind and efficient. His clothing was fitted and bore no insignia. His short black hair was cropped military style, and he stood straight.

Luke stood behind him, gripping the cape in his fists.

“Lord Vader, what may we do for you today?” Asked the woman.

Anakin stepped forward.

“I want this suit off.”   
  


* * *

  
Luke Skywalker walked beside his father’s gurney, holding his father’s large, black-gloved hand with one of his own. His father’s hand engulfed his small one, and it felt comforting. He’d heard the doctors, and he knew what dying meant. It was a risky surgery. While he had only been with his father for a short time, Luke could not imagine being without him. Where would he go, even?

“Promise me you won’t die, father,” he said softly, his small voice a little shaky.

“I promise, Luke.”

And so, Luke was pushed away to watch the doctors lead the gurney with his father through the doors, his father’s words echoing in the empty air, the warm presence encircling his own fading further away as the gurney moved down the hallway behind the doors.

_“I promise, Luke.”_

The little boy stood alone in the hallway, his bright presence surrounded by darkness.   
  


* * *

  
Anakin lay in the gurney, looking up at the lights. He faintly heard the doctor's voices above him, but he didn't listen to them. The most important thing was his son.

_“I promise, Luke.”_

He would make it back. Of course.

He had to.

He would.

The white ceiling was the last thing he saw before the world faded from his eyes.   
  


* * *

  
The doctors stood over the man’s ruined body, working hurriedly. The technology inside the suit took their breath away, and not because of how good it was. Rather, the opposite. Doctor Norman, the head of the facility, gasped as they cut through the leather of the suit. Doctor Kent, Vader’s personal doctor, was also appalled. While he did know of the suit and all of its functions, he wasn’t anticipating this.

“Okay, continue the drip. You there, be careful with the leather,” commanded Norman. Looking underneath the suit, Norman gasped again. 

“Kriff, the burns underneath haven’t been treated properly! Quick, get me some more bacta patches!" She commanded, cursing. "This wasn’t in the file.”

“Get the prepared prosthesis attached.”

They worked tirelessly for hours, none of them stopping. They removed and replaced the prosthesis from the left arm, and the legs, although they left the right arm as it was, as the man himself had asked. The golden metal glinted under the light as they worked.

“Alright, team,” Norman said. “Time to get the actual surgery started. Kent, take the reins.”

And so, Kent took control. He commanded the team of doctors as a commander would command his troops.

Hours passed, and the doctors still worked.

The only thought on all of their minds was to keep him alive.

_Let him live._  
  


* * *

  
Luke didn’t know how long his father was in surgery for. Ever since he felt his presence recede through the halls, time lost all meaning to Luke.

He found himself with a nurse at his side, offering him food. Luke took it, gratefully, and the woman smiled. 

That was all that happened.

Luke paced around, and the woman came to feed him. He couldn’t sleep. Worry for his father plagued him as he refused to leave the waiting room time and time again. The kind nurse had offered him a room to spend the time in, but he said no. 

Exhaustion was getting to the nine-year-old. Luke fought to keep his eyes open for the tenth time that hour, and soon, it was all too much.

_Only for a little while_ , he thought to himself. _Only for a little while_ …

His eyes closed, and Luke fell asleep.   
  


* * *

  
When he finally awoke Luke found himself in a bed. His eyes immediately fixated on the doctor stood at the foot of his bed and he bolted up. The doctor looked weary, and her eyes were tired.

_Father? Oh, please, please let him be alright._

“Is my dad okay?”

A small smile graced the woman’s features. Instead of answering, her hand gestured to the other side of the room.

Luke looked at the man in the bed.

Anakin’s blue eyes shone at his son. He willed the corners of his lips to turn upwards.

The reaction was instantaneous. 

“Father!”

Luke jumped out of his own bed and ran across the room. He buried his little head into Anakin’s side, nearly beginning to cry when he felt a gentle hand on his shoulder, protecting him, drawing him close.

Anakin felt his eyes tearing up. His son’s face was pressed into his side, his love enveloping Anakin’s mind. A tear slid down his face.

“Son,” he choked out. 

The doctor approached the bed cautiously.

“Lord Vader—“

“No,” he cut her off. “Vader is dead. My name is Anakin Skywalker.”

The doctor was startled.

“Sir?”

“My name is Anakin Skywalker, Doctor Norman. And I have returned home.”


	4. Saudade

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> the feeling of longing for something or someone that you love and which is lost.
> 
> or: Obi-Wan Kenobi wonders, Leia Organa investigates, and Luke Skywalker hopes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The chapters are kinda short, I know. They'll get longer, at some point. Meanwhile, thank you for all your comments and kudos! For more stuff on this verse, you can visit the [tag on my tumblr](http://vortexoftime.tumblr.com/tagged/only-time-will-tell).

**** Obi-Wan Kenobi had felt Vader’s presence, of course. Only when he had arrived, the boy was gone.

And, of course, he had felt the Light. Bright, pure, and so _Anakin_ —

Then, when he got to the farm. Owen and Beru were still outside, looking up at the sky, where there was nothing, traces of the shuttle already long gone. They had turned to him then, Beru’s face white as a sheet, but not scared. More confused. And Obi-Wan shared their confusion, until Beru spoke.

“Anakin Skywalker wishes you luck on finding a ship off this rock.”

Obi-Wan blinked at her words, but his heart started to fill with hope once the words sunk in. _Could it be?_

For there was only one man with that name who could say something like that to Obi-Wan specifically. And while that man was currently trapped in that monstrosity of a suit _(his fault, his doing),_ the man was definitely not Vader, for Vader would never use that name.

No, if this meant what he thought it meant, then there was hope. Hope for him, for Luke and Leia, and hope for the galaxy.

Wasting no time, Obi-Wan had taken off again. He collected his meagre possessions in a worn canvas bag and left the hut for the last time.

The ship was hidden out in a cave on the Dune Sea, so it was quite a trek for Obi-Wan from his hut. Thank the Force, the Jawas hadn’t found it.

Pulling off the dusty tarp covering the spacecraft, Obi-Wan coughed as the agitated sand billowed up from the cover. Looking upon the ship itself, Obi-Wan was hit with a wave of nostalgia. His own voice echoed in the empty space…

_“Hold on, Anakin. You're going to get us both killed! Get out of here. There's nothing more you can do.”  
_ _“I'm not leaving without you, Master.”_

The modified Jedi fighter gleamed in the light of the two Tatooine suns filtering through the entrance to the cave. The added hyperdrive looked a bit out of place on the ship, but that didn’t matter. It would do the job.

And so, Obi-Wan Kenobi took off and left Tatooine behind him, taking the path the Force laid out.

The ship faded from the sky as the hyperdrive initiated, heading straight into the krayt dragon’s den.   
  


* * *

  
Leia Organa was naturally a curious child. She was also a particularly nosy nine-year-old, and she liked to think that nothing happened in the palace without her knowing it. Of course, that was not quite true, so when she heard her parents’ voices higher than normal that night, she deftly leapt out of bed and snuck down to the living room, where Breha was sitting down on the couch, and Bail was pacing.

“I don’t want to believe it either, Bail, but if he’s found Luke—“

“No, Breha,” said Bail, a tad tiredly, but fiercely nonetheless. “No. I refuse to believe that he will find Leia. And if, somehow, he does, then I’m not letting him anywhere near her.”

“Bail, what if Obi-Wan’s right? What if he really has changed?” Her mother’s voice rang out, smooth and hopeful.

“He said that it was not possible, and I still believe him. Breha, you didn’t see the Temple that night,” Bail replied, his voice tense. 

“Even Jedi can be wrong, Bail,” Breha said gently. “And what are we to deny his paternal right, Bail? He is her father, no matter what we convince ourselves. If Anakin Skywalker wants his daughter, what are we to deny him?”

And Leia’s world crumbled apart. 

“What?” Her little voice said, shakily.

Bail and Breha’s heads both whirled around to look to find where the sound had come from as she stepped out of the shadows. Yes, she knew she was adopted, but she was always told that her real parents had perished.

“You told me that my biological parents were dead!”

“Leia, honey—“

But Leia had already left.

"I should go after her," Bail said, but Breha laid a gentle hand on his arm.

"No, Bail," she replied. "This searching, she must do on her own."

Leia ran through the halls. _Left, right, right, up the stairs… left_ …

Leia pushed open the doors to her father’s (her _adoptive_ father’s) study and closed them behind her. Pulling her small frame onto the large chair, Leia turned on the computer.

She had a name. _Anakin Skywalker._

Typing it into the search engine, Leia was a bit disappointed. Of the two results that popped up, the first was a news clipping, _‘Dynamic Jedi Duo Obi-Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker Do It Again!’_ , and second was a video, which to Leia, was much more promising. She clicked, and a holo popped up from the console.

_“And here we see that Senator Amidala has arrived,”_ said an announcer as the clip played. _“Standing behind her is Jedi Knight Anakin Skywalker, the Senator’s assigned protector.”_

Leia looked at the holo with wide eyes. The man she saw in the grainy image was young, probably in his twenties. His hair was most likely dark blond, Leia assumed, as she couldn’t really tell due to the holo being blue. His features were battle-hardened, but he held a relatively easy gait as he walked through the crowd behind the Senator.

Leia was so transfixed on the man that she didn’t even notice the video end. Quickly closing the holo and shutting down the computer, Leia breathed heavily.

Her father was out there somewhere.

And if Bail and Breha’s words meant anything, it was that he would come looking for her.

Leia smiled.

_Leia Skywalker._

It had a nice ring to it, she decided.   
  


* * *

  
Luke Skywalker was a dreamer, yes, he knew that. But looking at his father and himself, he couldn’t help it.

They could be a family.

Perhaps a broken family, considering the waves of pain that trailed his father, but a family nonetheless. Maybe he could heal him. For if Luke knew anything, he knew that love could heal just as well as it could destroy.

For if Luke knew anything, it was love that brought Anakin Skywalker back.

Currently, his father was peacefully sipping on some kind of broth. The doctors said that he should avoid solid foods for a while so his healed organs wouldn’t give out. 

Luke liked watching him. His father was at peace, and that, to Luke, was happiness in itself. Andhe was then even more happy when the doctors walked in to tell the pair that Anakin was to be discharged the next day.

“Of course, he’ll have to come in for regular check-ups for at least a year…” drawled the doctor, but the two were pointedly ignoring him, instead choosing to be happy. That evening, Luke found himself snuggled up to his father, who, in turn, embraced him tightly.

“Dad?”

Anakin looked down at the blond head resting against his chest.

“Yes, Luke?”

Luke smiled and met Anakin’s eyes.

“I’m glad you found me,” he said. Anakin smiled and nodded.

“Me too,” he replied softly. “Me too.”

And then the pair drifted off to sleep.

The next morning came all too quickly, but it was pleasant, Anakin noted, as that morning was the morning when he could finally leave, his son at his side.

Luke was just handing him his lightsaber when suddenly, a doctor walked in.  


“Mr. Skywalker, sir, there’s a man outside here to see you,” the young woman said exasperatedly. “We told him that you were closed to visitors, but he insisted that we let him in.”

Anakin frowned, but nodded at the woman. He took the lightsaber from Luke’s still-outstretched hand and said in a calm, yet firm, voice.

“Luke, get behind me, and whatever happens— wait…”

Anakin’s voice faded out, and when Luke looked up, he saw that his father’s eyes were wide in an undetectable emotion. 

When the man walked in, Luke gasped.

“Ben?” the small boy asked in disbelief. The man shook his head a fraction before his father’s voice cut through the silence.

“Obi-Wan?”

“Yes, old friend,” Obi-Wan said. 

Anakin whirled around to turn his back on his old master, refusing to face Obi-Wan’s hopeful expression. 

“I can’t.”

And with that, he grabbed his bag of belongings and took Luke’s hand in the other, clasping his (Vader’s) lightsaber to his belt. Once he turned to leave however, Obi-Wan was in his way again.

“Anakin—“

“No,” Anakin interrupted. “I’m sorry, but no. Things can’t go back to how they were. Goodbye, Obi-Wan.”

Obi-Wan looked defeated, but was not wavered.

“At least take this.”

And so, Anakin met Obi-Wan’s eyes and silently took his old lightsaber from his old master’s hand.

“Thank you.”

Then father and bewildered son swept out of the room.

Anakin practically ran out of the hospital. At some point he had hoisted Luke up and held him against his body as he ran.

He couldn’t face Obi-Wan. He could not. It wasn’t as if he hated him, no. He could never hate Obi-Wan. As it was, Anakin had done far too much to deserve Obi-Wan’s forgiveness. He had completely destroyed all that Obi-Wan had stood for. How his former master could even face him was beyond Anakin’s comprehension. So no, he did not hate Obi-Wan. But he could not face him, either. 

Furthermore, he couldn’t stay on Coruscant much longer, as he knew that the Emperor was rushing back.

Luckily, Anakin had instructed Piett to shut down communications on the _Devastator_ until he returned, so there was almost no chance that the Emperor had managed to seize control of Anakin’s flagship. Well, not really his. Vader’s.

Soon, he had made it out of the building and to the landing pad, where his shuttle was already prepped, courtesy of the hospital staff. Quickly boarding and closing the ramp, Anakin strapped Luke into a seat and then took his own at the main console. Anakin needed to get to his ship. Lightly brushing his fingers over various buttons and switches, Anakin was able to open his private comm line with Admiral Piett.

“Yes, Lord Vader?” Came the Admiral’s voice through the speaker.

“Admiral Piett,” Anakin replied, knowing that his voice was going to lead Piett to believe that he was an impostor of some sort, so he was not surprised at Piett’s next words.

“You are not Lord Vader. Whoever you are, I want to know how you got this comm frequency.”

“Admiral, listen to me. I am coming in from Coruscant right now. Do not open communications.”

“And why should I trust you?” Was Piett’s reply.

“Code DV6657 dash four dot nine,” Anakin stated firmly, knowing that the seemingly random sequence of numbers and letters would most definitely get the Admiral’s attention. The code was one that he gave only to the Admiral, and one only he and the Admiral knew. It was an override, a pulling of rank. Vader had explicitly said that this code was only to be used in emergency, in a worst-case scenario. And only the Admiral and himself knew that code, a point which he had made _very_ clear. So naturally, Piett had worked it out.

“Lord Vader?” Came the slightly awestruck reply through the comm.

“Yes, Admiral. Meet me in my private docking bay. Tell no one where you are going, and make sure no one follows you. That is an order of utmost importance.”

“Alright, sir. I will be there.”

“Thank you, Piett. Vader out.”

Anakin cut the connection. He turned to his son, who had been staring at him the entire time, and gave him a grim smile.

Here came the hard part.   
  


* * *

  
Admiral Piett waited in Vader’s private docking bay. He had made sure that no one had followed him or knew where he was going. Why Vader had said that in the first place, Piett didn’t know. In  fact, everything had been quite odd. Piett sensed that something big was going to happen, and that something had definitely changed.

The doors were open, and Piett could finally see a shuttle coming towards him. Once the shuttle landed, Piett’s feeling that something had changed only grew. The ramp lowered, and then—

A man and a young boy walked down the ramp. The boy was looking about in wonder, gripping the man’s hand tightly. The man’s presence engulfed the room, his intense blue-eyed gaze immediately locking onto Piett. He turned, dragging the boy behind him, making a beeline to the Admiral.

“Admiral Piett. You have done what I asked, I presume?”

“Yes, Lord Vader. Everything is as you asked.”

“I know that, Admiral. That’s why I contacted you,” the man said. “And now, I have to ask you something.”

“Yes, Milord?”

“Piett, what I ask is a question of loyalty. Are you loyal to me, or the Empire?”   
  


* * *

_  
“All crew in the main hangar bay. Repeat, this is all crew in the main hangar bay. This is a direct order from Lord Vader. All crew in the main hangar bay.”_

The PA system blared through the halls. The officers, the pilots, the stormtroopers, the maintenance staff. They all went as one to the main hangar, for no one, _no one_ , disobeys a direct order from Lord Vader.

Once everyone was in the hangar, total silence fell. The troopers and officers all stood in neat rows, and the maintenance staff stood off to the sides. Nobody knew what this was about, and the feeling that had overtaken the room was suffocating. No one spoke.

Suddenly, the doors opened once again. This time, the crew knew it was time to find out why they had been summoned.

In walked Admiral Piett, and at his side stood a hooded figure.

It was the hooded figure who spoke first.

“ _Devastator_ crew. This is Lord Vader speaking.”

The man threw off his hood, and stunned gasps could be heard from the crew below. 

“I am Lord Vader.”

The man stuck out an arm and a TIE fighter flew out of the wall. Floating above the crowd, the TIE was crumpled in midair like a tin can.

“And that,” said the man. “Was for anyone with doubts.”

The crowd stood still and silent, and every one of them knew, in some way, that this was in fact their leader. And they also knew that everything was about to change.

“This is not a good day for the Empire,” Vader began. “When I left this ship, I told Admiral Piett to shut off communications with the rest of the Imperial fleet. Had I not, I would not be standing here, and most likely, nor would you. I regret to inform you, but Lord Vader is dead. He died with the black suit. I was trapped underneath. I don’t expect any of you to understand, but I order you to hear me out. My name is not Darth Vader anymore. I am Anakin Skywalker, and I thereby leave the Empire behind me. I will go to the Rebellion. And now, I have a question. Are you loyal to me, or to the Empire?”

The hangar bay stayed silent. Then, as if as one, the crowd saluted.

A young officer stepped forth. 

“It would be out honour continue to serve under you.”

The Star Destroyer _Devastator_ disappeared into hyperspace ten minutes later.  
  


* * *

  
“Yes, Admiral?”

The Emperor was currently on the Imperial Star Destroyer _Vengeance_ , heading back to Coruscant. He knew his apprentice had betrayed him. It was unfortunate to have to kill Vader, but alas, it was now the only option.

“Milord, the Star Destroyer _Devastator_ has completely vanished. They have removed themselves from the Imperial ship database. I don’t know how this is possible, but we’ve lost them, sir.”

Emperor Palpatine left the room five minutes later, leaving the body where it was.

The tables had turned.

He was in control no longer.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In loving memory of Carrie Frances Fisher. May the Force be with you, always.


End file.
